When Republicans insist on massive, short-sighted and
economically devastating spending cuts, they justify it by claiming that
cutting spending is a necessary precursor to economic growth. It doesn't seem
to matter that there's little to no evidence for that model of economic
recovery (and much evidence from today's European economies that austerity only
makes things worse).
Republicans just say it over and over again, on Twitter and cable news and in
the op-ed pages.

So it's nice, in a sense, when a committee chairman wraps a
funding bill in such a ridiculous package of policy riders that it's impossible
to defend in the context of jobs and the economy. That appears
to be where we're headed with Labor/HHS funding for next year:

House
Appropriators on Thursday released a draft spending bill that ends funding for NPR
and President Obama's signature "Race to the Top" education program, in
addition to defunding Obama's healthcare reform and Planned Parenthood.

The bill also contains a number of pro-business,
anti-union policy riders, including one that limits labor agreements with
unions on federal projects and one that prohibits federal workers from
union activities while on the clock at work.

The National
Labor Relations Board is prohibited from implementing a host of regulation
meant to ease union elections. [...]

The Department of Labor gets a $2.6 billion cut
from 2011 levels; the biggest chunk
comes out of the Employment Training Administration. In contrast, a program
for unemployed veterans - an issue Obama has championed - gets a $15.4 million
increase next year, $10 million more than Obama sought for it.

Lest anyone forget, or be bamboozled
by GOP leaders paying lip service paid to the notion of working in good faith
with Democrats, this draft funding bill is a reminder. Republicans are more
interested in throwing out political red meat to the ideological purists who've
commandeered the party than executing government basics in a responsible,
realistic fashion. If and when that leads to gridlock,
Republicans claim that's good for the country too.